This invention is related to the field of ethylene copolymer compositions. In particular, this invention is related to the field of crosslinked ethylene copolymer compositions.
There has been, and continues to be, considerable interest in converting thermoplastic ethylene copolymer compositions into thermosetting ethylene copolymer compositions. This interest is due to the desire to combine the low cost, easy processing, and good mechanical properties of thermoplastic ethylene copolymer compositions with the enhanced form stability at elevated temperatures, resistance to stress crack, and good tensile properties of thermosetting ethylene copolymer compositions. Crosslinked ethylene copolymer compositions are valuable because they can be use in the wire, cable, pipe, hose, and molded article industries.
Tensile properties are perhaps the most important indicators of the useful strength of a crosslinked ethylene copolymer composition. For example, the tensile property known as "Percent Elongation at Break" is a good indicator of the brittleness of an ethylene copolymer composition and the tensile property known as the "Strain Energy at Break" is a good indicator of the general toughness of an ethylene copolymer composition. These properties are widely known and can be determined on commercially available test equipment.